Tubular insert for excavated hole with safety cover

ABSTRACT

A tubular insert sleeve system comprises a tubular insert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole and a snug fitting and removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of the tubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole. One or more sleeve fastening apertures are defined through the tubular insert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof, and are adapted to receive one or more vermiform fasteners for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve. Preferably, the sleeve fastening apertures are in the form of handles. In some embodiments, one or more cover fastening apertures are defined through the safety cover and the cover fastening aperture(s) cooperate with the sleeve fastening aperture(s) to receive the vermiform fastener(s) to fasten the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a tubular insert sleeve for use withexcavated holes of the kind which are dug to receive elongated objectssuch as utility poles, and more particularly to a combination of thetubular insert sleeve with a safety cover to discourage tampering andmitigate the circumstances in which anything may accidentally fall intothe hole.

BACKGROUND

It is quite common for a commercial excavator to dig a series of spacedholes for receiving a number of respective elongated objects, such asutility poles. The excavation of the holes may take place before theutility poles can be located into the holes and therefore the holes maybe left in a condition to receive the poles for a day or more. Becausethis is not safe, the holes are usually covered over by any convenientcover such as a board or pallet and the public danger may be signaled bya warning pylon placed over the board.

An improvement over such an improvised safety cover is to provide atubular insert sized to fit the diameter of the hole and to place theinsert into the hole. A protective cap having an internal diameter whichis sized to fit over the external diameter of the insert is used to sealoff the hole. The insert has the advantage of retaining surrounding soiland dirt so that it does not collapse into the hole thereby preservingthe hole so that it can receive a utility pole at a later time.

The insert is usually provided in lengths which are commensurate withthe depth of the hole and may vary in lengths of several feet to tenfeet or more. One problem which arises with such inserts is that theyare preferably withdrawn from the surrounding hole in order to be reusedat another job site. With deep holes, this becomes particularlydifficult because the entire length of the insert must be withdrawn andif this is done after the utility pole has been installed, the tubularinsert must be lifted the entire height of the utility pole as well.Another problem which arises is that the smooth tubular surface of theinsert is difficult to grasp for removal. In addition, the diameter ofsuch tubes must in some cases be quite large and storage fortransportation takes up a lot of space.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,772 and Canadian Patent No. 2,547,084 teach atubular insert sleeve system for an excavated hole in which the sleeveis made of cooperating segments which can easily be separated and whichform a sleeve when assembled. In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve ismade of two cooperating segments, each segment extending the full heightof the sleeve so that the joint between segments extends longitudinallyalong the height of the assembled sleeve. The operatively upper end ofthe assembled sleeve has an outwardly extending portion of greater outerdiameter than the outer diameter of the remainder of the sleeve. Theupper end thereby defines an outwardly extending flange which is moreeasily grasped for removal of the sleeve from an excavated hole andwhich in use will rest on the ground to surround the excavated hole.

The tubular insert sleeve system taught by U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,772 andCanadian Patent No. 2,547,084 include a snug fitting and removablesafety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of the tubular insertsleeve in order to cover the excavated hole. However, there remains arisk that a curious or mischievous school age child or adolescent couldremove the cover and then climb or fall into the hole and become trappedtherein.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a tubular insert sleeve system, comprises a tubularinsert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole, and a snug fittingand removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of thetubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole. The tubularinsert sleeve comprises at least two longitudinally extending segmentsadapted to cooperate with each other to form the tubular insert sleeve.The tubular insert sleeve has a cylindrical main portion having apre-determined first external diameter selected to fit in the excavatedhole so that an exterior surface of the main portion retains walls ofthe excavated hole when the tubular insert sleeve is inserted therein.The main portion extends from a bottom end of the tubular insert sleeveadapted for insertion into the excavated hole toward an upper portion ofthe tubular insert sleeve adjacent an upper end of the tubular insertsleeve remote from the bottom end. The upper portion has apre-determined second external diameter greater than the first externaldiameter and selected to be larger than the excavated hole, and the mainportion is longitudinally substantially longer than the upper portion.There is a discontinuity between the first external diameter and thesecond external diameter so that the upper end of the sleeve defines anoutwardly extending annular flange providing a bearing surface forremoval of the tubular insert sleeve from the excavated hole. Thetubular insert sleeve being open at the bottom end. At least one sleevefastening aperture is defined through the tubular insert sleeve adjacentthe upper end thereof and is adapted to receive at least one vermiformfastener for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.

In some embodiments, at least one cover fastening aperture is definedthrough the safety cover, and the at least one cover fastening apertureis adapted to receive the at least one vermiform fastener for fasteningthe safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve. In some particularembodiments, the at least one cover fastening aperture is disposed in acovering face of the safety cover, inwardly of an annular rim thereof

In certain embodiments, the at least one cover fastening aperturecomprises two opposed cover fastening apertures and the at least onesleeve fastening aperture comprises two opposed sleeve fasteningapertures.

In some embodiments, the at least one sleeve fastening aperture isformed in the main portion of the tubular insert sleeve, inferiorly ofthe upper portion of the tubular insert sleeve.

In some embodiments, each sleeve fastening aperture forms a handle inthe tubular insert sleeve for removal of the tubular insert sleeve fromthe excavated hole.

In another aspect, a tubular insert sleeve system comprises a tubularinsert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole and a snug fittingand removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of thetubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole. At least onecover fastening aperture is defined through the safety cover and atleast one sleeve fastening aperture is defined through the tubularinsert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof. The at least one coverfastening aperture and the at least one sleeve fastening aperture areadapted to receive at least one vermiform fastener for fastening thesafety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.

In a further aspect, a tubular insert sleeve system, comprises a tubularinsert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole and a snug fittingand removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of thetubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole. At least onepair of opposed sleeve fastening apertures is defined through thetubular insert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof. The sleevefastening apertures are adapted to receive at least one vermiformfastener for encircling the safety cover to thereby fasten the safetycover to the tubular insert sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of will become more apparent from the followingdescription in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded top front perspective view showing an assembledtubular insert sleeve and safety cover;

FIG. 2 is a top front perspective view of the assembled tubular insertsleeve and safety cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is a detailed top front perspective view of an upper region ofthe assembled tubular insert sleeve and safety cover of FIG. 1 showing afirst method for securing the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve;

FIG. 2B is a detailed top front perspective view of an upper region ofthe assembled tubular insert sleeve and safety cover of FIG. 1 showing asecond method for securing the safety cover to the tubular insertsleeve;

FIG. 3 shows an upper region of the assembled tubular sleeve of FIG. 1in use inserted into an excavated hole;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the tubular insert sleeve of FIG. 1 withoutthe safety cover;

FIG. 5 is a first side elevation view of the tubular insert sleeve ofFIG. 1 without the safety cover;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled tubular insert sleeveand safety cover of FIG. 1, taken along the line A-A in FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a first side elevation view of the assembled tubular insertsleeve and safety cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the assembled tubular insert sleeve andsafety cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the assembled tubular insert sleeve andsafety cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a second side elevation view of the assembled tubular insertsleeve and safety cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional schematic view showing details of a jointbetween two segments of the tubular insert sleeve of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional schematic view showing a rib formed duringmoulding and which is cut to form the joint of FIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An exemplary tubular insert sleeve is generally indicated in FIGS. 1 and2 by reference numeral 20. In use, the tubular insert sleeve 20 will beinserted into an excavated hole 22 shown in FIG. 3. The tubular insertsleeve 20 comprises a cylindrical main portion 25 having a firstpre-determined external diameter and extending from a bottom end 45 ofthe tubular insert sleeve 20 toward the operatively upper end 23 of thetubular insert sleeve 20. The upper end 23 of the tubular insert sleeve20 has an outwardly extending upper portion 24 of greater outer diameterthan the outer diameter of the main portion 25, which forms theremainder of the sleeve 20. Thus, the upper portion 24 has apre-determined second external diameter that is greater than the firstexternal diameter (i.e. of the main portion 25) and which is selected tobe larger than the excavated hole 22, and there is a discontinuitybetween the first external diameter and the second external diameter.The upper portion 24 thereby defines an outwardly extending flange 26which as shown in FIG. 3 will rest on or slightly above the ground 28 tosurround the excavated hole 22. Because the upper portion 24 of thesleeve 20 is proud of the excavated hole 22 and the flange 26 provides abearing surface, the tubular insert sleeve is more easily grasped forremoval of the sleeve from the excavator hole 22. As can be seen in thedrawings, the main portion 25 is longitudinally substantially longerthan the upper portion 24.

Conveniently, the tubular insert sleeve 20 is made of a pair ofcooperating segments 30, 32 which can easily be separated and which formthe tubular insert sleeve 20 when assembled. In the embodimentillustrated, each segment 30, 32 extends the full height of the tubularinsert sleeve 20 so that a pair of joints 34 (FIG. 2) between thesegments 30, 32 extend longitudinally along the height of the assembledtubular insert sleeve 20 on opposite sides thereof.

Conveniently, the entire tubular insert sleeve is rotation moulded froma single mould. During moulding, the joint 34 which is shown in moredetail in FIG. 11A, is formed from an outwardly extending hollow rib 36shown in FIG. 11B. After the moulding, the ribs 36 are drilled withvertically spaced apertures 38 along the height of the tubular insertsleeve 20 and the ribs 36 are subsequently cut to separate therespective segments 30, 32 forming the tubular insert sleeve 20. Thus,after cutting the ribs 36 there are two longitudinally extendingsegments 30, 32 adapted to cooperate with each other to form the tubularinsert sleeve 20. The rib 36 is separated into an L-shaped section 42which is integral with segment 32 and a straight wall section 44 whichis integral with segment 30. In this way, the apertures 38 from bothsegments 30, 32 are aligned with each other. In order to secure the twosegments 30, 32 together, a number of zip ties 40 (FIG. 2) correspondingin number to the apertures 38 are inserted through the apertures 38.Conveniently, during transportation, the segments 30, 32 may beseparated from each other and transported in a nested configuration.

In order to improve the structural integrity of the tubular insertsleeve 20, the tubular insert sleeve 20 is provided with an outwardlyextending hollow annulet 43 on the main portion 25, intermediate theupper end 23 and the bottom end 45. A similar hollow annulet 46 isformed at the bottom end 45 so that the tubular insert sleeve 20 has aninwardly directed annular flange 47 at the bottom end 45. The bottom end45 is, aside from the annular flange 47, open and is adapted forinsertion into an excavated hole 22 (FIG. 3).

In use, the tubular insert sleeve 20 is inserted into an excavated hole22 as shown by FIG. 3. As can be seen, the outwardly extending upperportion 24 and about 20 to 28 inches of the main portion 25 immediatelybelow the upper portion 24 remain above grade so as to reduce thelikelihood of an individual stepping on the safety cover 48; theremainder of the main portion 25 is disposed in the hole 22. Thecylindrical main portion 25 has a pre-determined first external diameterselected to fit in the excavated hole 22 so that an exterior surface 49of the main portion 25 will act to retain the walls of the excavatedhole 22 when the tubular insert sleeve 22 is inserted therein. Thesleeve 20 then operates to maintain the integrity of the excavated hole22 by retaining the surrounding dirt or material from which the hole hasbeen excavated and preventing same from collapsing into the hole 22. Theannulets 43, 46 and joints 34 protrude very little relative to thediameter of the main portion 25 and are not considered when assessingthe diameter of the main portion 25.

In order to safeguard the public from accidentally falling into the holeor dropping objects into the hole, the upper portion 24 is covered witha safety cover 48 which is dimensioned to snap fit over the upperportion 24. Thus, the safety cover 48 is snug fitting and removable andis adapted to extend over the upper end 23 of the tubular insert sleeve20 in order to cover the excavated hole 22. The choice of design for thesafety cover 48 may vary considerably but it is intended that the safetycover 48 will fit snugly over the upper end 23 of the tubular insertsleeve 20 so that it is not easily removed. Preferably, the safety cover48 and the upper end 23 of the tubular insert sleeve 20 are coloured abright safety orange or green.

In order to inhibit unauthorized removal of the safety cover 48, thesafety cover 48 is preferably fastened to the tubular insert sleeve 20when the tubular insert sleeve 20 is disposed within the hole 22. Toachieve this end, in the illustrated embodiment two opposed sleevefastening apertures 60 are defined through the main portion of thetubular insert sleeve 20 adjacent to and inferiorly of the upper end 23thereof. Each sleeve fastening aperture 60 forms a handle in the tubularinsert sleeve 20 to assist in removal of the tubular insert sleeve 20from the excavated hole 22, and each sleeve fastening aperture 60 isadapted to receive at least one vermiform fastener such as a zip tie(also referred to as a cable tie, tie strip or tie-wrap) 62 (FIG. 2A),64 (FIG. 2B) for fastening the safety cover 48 to the tubular insertsleeve 20. As can be seen in FIG. 2A, a zip tie 62 comprises anelongate, flexible tape portion with teeth 62A that are engaged by apawl in the head 62B to form a ratchet whereby as the tape portion ispulled through the head 62B in a tightening direction it will resistmovement through the head 62B in the opposite (loosening) direction.Preferably, the zip ties 62, 64 for fastening the safety cover 48 to thetubular insert sleeve 20 are of the type which cannot be released butmust be cut to be removed. For example, one-way nylon or steel zip tiesmay be used.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, a single large zip tie 62 may bethreaded through the sleeve fastening apertures 60 to extenddiametrically across the upper end 23 of the tubular insert sleeve 20and then fastened over top of the safety cover 48, which may be providedwith a channel 66 to receive the zip tie 62. Thus, in this embodimentthe single large zip tie 62 encircles the safety cover 48 to therebyfasten the safety cover 48 to the tubular insert sleeve 20.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, two opposed cover fasteningapertures 68 are defined through the safety cover 48; these coverfastening apertures 68 are also each adapted to receive a suitably sizedzip tie 64 for fastening the safety cover 48 to the tubular insertsleeve 20. The cover fastening apertures 68 are disposed in a coveringface 70 of the safety cover 48, inwardly of an annular rim 72 thereof.The safety cover 48 can be positioned so that the cover fasteningapertures 68 are approximately aligned with the sleeve fasteningapertures 60. Then, respective zip ties 64 can be threaded through thecover fastening apertures 68 and the sleeve fastening apertures 60 toencircle portions of the annular rim 72 of the safety cover 48 andthereby fasten the safety cover 48 to the tubular insert sleeve 20.While two opposed cover fastening apertures 68 and two opposed sleevefastening apertures 60 are shown in the illustrated embodiment, in otherembodiments there may be only a single cover fastening aperture and asingle sleeve fastening aperture, or there may be three or more coverfastening apertures and sleeve fastening apertures. In addition, whilesleeve fastening apertures which also function as handles are preferred,in other embodiments the sleeve fastening apertures need not take theform of handles.

Furthermore, while FIG. 2A shows the safety cover 48 with two opposedcover fastening apertures 68, it is to be appreciated that inembodiments in which a single large zip tie 62 is used as shown in FIG.2A, the cover fastening apertures may be omitted. The channel 66,although preferred, is also optional.

When a utility pole or other elongated object is ready to be installedinto the excavated hole 22, the tubular insert sleeve 20 may be removedfrom the hole 22. Depending on the nature of the ground surrounding thehole 22, it may be necessary to leave the tubular insert sleeve 20 inplace when a utility pole or the like is installed in which case, thesafety cover 48 is first removed. The upper portion 24 and/or sleevefastening apertures 60 of the tubular insert sleeve 20 can then begrasped in order to raise the tubular insert sleeve 20 until it iswithdrawn from the hole 22. As the tubular insert sleeve 20 progressesupwardly, access to the zip ties 40 allows a worker to sever the zipties in order that the segments 30, 32 may be separated from each other.Thus, it is not necessary to withdraw the tubular insert sleeve 20 overthe height of the utility pole or other object in order to withdraw thetubular insert sleeve 20 from the job site. Once removed, the segments30, 32 are once again nested together in order to be transported to thenext job site.

It will be understood that several variations may be made to the abovedescribed arrangements as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.In particular, the shape and configuration of the safety cover may varyas required. It will also be appreciated that other fasteners besidesthe zip ties 40 may be used to secure segments to each other and thatthe number of segments may also vary. In addition, the manner of forminga joint between segments may be changed in accordance with any designchoice that is preferred. Furthermore, while zip ties are consideredconvenient for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve,other types of fasteners, such as chains or cables with keyed orcombination locks, may also be used. Finally, it will be appreciatedthat the tubular insert sleeve may be made in a variety of lengths andhave a number of different diameters suited to the diameter of theintended excavation hole. For example, and without limitation, suitablediameters may include 16 inch and 24 inch diameters, among others. Forsome applications where the tubular insert sleeve is perhaps shorter inlength, a grooved joint coupling whereby the cooperating segments willslide longitudinally relative to each other may be desirable.Alternatively, the segments may also be hinged relative to each other.Other such variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by wayof example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that anumber of variations and modifications can be made without departingfrom the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tubular insert sleeve system, comprising: a tubular insert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole, the tubular insert sleeve comprising: at least two longitudinally extending segments adapted to cooperate with each other to form the tubular insert sleeve; the tubular insert sleeve having a cylindrical main portion having a pre-determined first external diameter selected to fit in the excavated hole so that an exterior surface of the main portion retains walls of the excavated hole when the tubular insert sleeve is inserted therein; the main portion extending from a bottom end of the tubular insert sleeve adapted for insertion into the excavated hole toward an upper portion of the tubular insert sleeve adjacent an upper end of the tubular insert sleeve remote from the bottom end; the upper portion having a pre-determined second external diameter greater than the first external diameter and selected to be larger than the excavated hole; the main portion being longitudinally substantially longer than the upper portion; there being a discontinuity between the first external diameter and the second external diameter so that the upper end of the sleeve defines an outwardly extending annular flange providing a bearing surface for removal of the tubular insert sleeve from the excavated hole; the tubular insert sleeve being open at the bottom end; and a snug fitting and removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of the tubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole; characterized in that: at least one sleeve fastening aperture is defined through the tubular insert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof; the at least one sleeve fastening aperture being adapted to receive at least one vermiform fastener for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.
 2. The tubular insert sleeve of claim 1, further characterized in that: at least one cover fastening aperture is defined through the safety cover; and the at least one cover fastening aperture is adapted to receive the at least one vermiform fastener for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.
 3. The tubular insert sleeve system of claim 2, further characterized in that the at least one cover fastening aperture is disposed in a covering face of the safety cover, inwardly of an annular rim thereof.
 4. The tubular insert sleeve system of claim 1, further characterized in that the at least one sleeve fastening aperture is formed in the main portion of the tubular insert sleeve, inferiorly of the upper portion of the tubular insert sleeve.
 5. The tubular insert sleeve system of claim 2, further characterized in that: the at least one cover fastening aperture comprises two opposed cover fastening apertures; and the at least one sleeve fastening aperture comprises two opposed sleeve fastening apertures.
 6. The tubular insert sleeve system of claim 1, further characterized in that each sleeve fastening aperture forms a handle in the tubular insert sleeve for removal of the tubular insert sleeve from the excavated hole.
 7. The tubular insert sleeve system of claim 4, further characterized in that the at least one sleeve fastening aperture comprises two opposed sleeve fastening apertures.
 8. A tubular insert sleeve system, comprising: a tubular insert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole; a snug fitting and removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of the tubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole; at least one cover fastening aperture being defined through the safety cover; and at least one sleeve fastening aperture is defined through the tubular insert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof; wherein the at least one cover fastening aperture and the at least one sleeve fastening aperture are adapted to receive at least one vermiform fastener for fastening the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve.
 9. A tubular insert sleeve system, comprising: a tubular insert sleeve for insertion into an excavated hole; a snug fitting and removable safety cover adapted to extend over the upper end of the tubular insert sleeve in order to cover the excavated hole; and at least one pair of opposed sleeve fastening apertures defined through the tubular insert sleeve adjacent the upper end thereof; wherein the sleeve fastening apertures are adapted to receive at least one vermiform fastener for encircling the safety cover to thereby fasten the safety cover to the tubular insert sleeve. 